Jan 9 Frankie's Most Anticipated Games of 2017

Much like my Top 5 Games of 2016, this was a hard list for me to narrow down. Obviously, I’m excited for the “known” quantities like Horizon: Zero Dawn and Mass Effect: Andromeda, but I wanted to focus my list this year on some of the games that might not be on too many other people’s radars due to the sheer volume of big titles coming our way in 2017. Here are five of my most anticipated games of the new year.

Vampyr

I loved Life is Strange. After completing that gem of an adventure game, developer Dontnod rose to the top of my "Studios to Watch" list. Their next title, Vampyr, has me intrigued. The game trailers we've seen so far have painted a dark picture of the types of decisions players will be faced with throughout the narrative, as moral ethics seem like they will play a large part in the proceedings. Dontnod demonstrated an incredible knack for storytelling in Life is Strange, so I'm excited to see what they can do with a world centered around vampires. Vampyr is pushing all of the right buttons for me, and I eagerly anticipate its release later this year.

Hitman Season 2

As of this writing, I’m ashamed to admit that I’m not finished with the first season of Hitman just yet. It’s a title that's been lingering in my backlog for a while now. I’ve been itching to hop back into Agent 47's latest adventure but, as usual, time has completely gotten away from me. What I have played, I've really enjoyed though. There's a certain attitude the game exudes that I find magnetic, and the stealth-based gameplay I've experienced so far has been excellent. Learning the different ways I can approach each mission and which disguises are the most useful on a given hit has been a great time, and I'm especially fond of the fact that my clumsy approach to stealth doesn't completely ruin my chance to successfully complete a mission…unless of course it's an Elusive Target. Hitman as a living game was a hard concept for me to wrap my head around when it was initially announced, but seeing the way developer IO has handled this new episodic approach to the franchise has guaranteed that I'm on board with anything they want to do with this style of Hitman in the future. I look forward to not only completing the game's first season in the coming weeks, but seeing what IO can bring to the table with their next outing!

The Fall Part 2: Unbound

Every so often I'll reach the end of a game and wonder, “Whoa, where do we go from here??” Part 1 of The Fall is definitely one of these games. The Fall follows ARID, an AI in control of a high-tech combat suit (akin to Jarvis from Iron-Man) housing a wounded and unconscious pilot inside. While Part 1 is an engaging puzzle-based experience throughout, it's the game's end that's stuck with me the most. The Fall's shocking reveal and conclusion left me stunned, and I've been waiting on pins and needles for Part 2 ever since. Developer Over the Moon Games is planning to continue ARID’s journey and her search for answers later this year, and I can’t wait to jump back into this world to find out what challenges await our delightful AI friend.

NieR: Automata

I never dabbled with the first NieR. I never really had much interest. If I remember correctly, NieR was a much more typical Square Enix RPG, a style of game I didn't normally play at the time of its release almost 7 years ago. However, learning that one of my favorite developers, Platinum Games, is behind this new installment in the franchise has piqued my interest. My gaming tastes have changed since the original release as well, so I am more inclined to go back and check out what the first game had to offer now. Looking ahead, after experiencing the recent demo available through the Playstation Store, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun the demo was to play. The mechanical enemies that populate the game's environment are intriguing, and I definitely want to learn more about the world and the characters presented to us during the demo. Platinum’s knack for insanely fun, over-the-top action combat shines through clearly here, as heroine 2B looks to tackle some pretty massive mechanical menaces on her journey. I can’t wait to meet and beat the scrap outta them!

Yakuza Kiwami

I’m hoping that this is a big Yakuza year for me as I dive into the franchise head first starting later this month with the hotly anticipated western release of Yakuza 0. I was surprised to hear that not only is Yakuza 6 western-bound in early 2018, but the remake of the very first game in the series is coming this way as well this year! I played a little bit of Yakuza 5 on my PS3 a few years back, and it’s a franchise that I know I’d be in love with if I can find the time to sit down and immerse myself in one of its titles. The platinum trophy requirements always kept me away from prior PS3 Yakuza entries, but now that I don’t care to chase a platinum trophy in every single game I play like I once did, I’m excited to finally hop into the series and experience everything the franchise has to offer.

Honorable Mentions:

Ben Boyce’s Top 5 Most Anticipated Games of 2017

After keeping us waiting with baited breath last year, we can only hope that our fearless editor won’t keep us in suspense too long this year in regards to the list of his most anticipated games of 2017!

The Nintendo Switch Launch

I am stoked to see what Nintendo has in store for us when they roll the Switch out in just a few short months. Of course, as of this writing, we’re still counting down the days until the system's big reveal event where I hope to be floored by what Nintendo has to offer. I'm hoping many of the rumors come to fruition (looking at you virtual Gamecube games) alongside formal announcements of some of the titles that’ll be gracing the platform at launch. This is set to be an exciting ride, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a brand new Nintendo console later this year!

Of course, this is but a small sampling of the titles that have me excited about the bombastic year of gaming that 2017 is set to usher in. Narrowing down this list to just five, in what feels like a literal sea of big titles from Injustice 2 to Nioh to The Surge and everything else coming this year, was no easy task and -- again-- many of these titles can easily be swapped out for others on any given day of the week. There’s never been a better time to be into gaming, and 2017 is slated to be one hell of a year for gamers across the board. Viva la Switch!